


Just a Girl

by lostin_space



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Gen, Ladies of Roswell New Mexico Week 2019, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-08 04:47:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20314840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostin_space/pseuds/lostin_space
Summary: Liz finds Isobel is a bit more human than she wants you to think.





	Just a Girl

**Author's Note:**

> for day 3 or ladies of rnm week: pre-canon/missing scenes

Liz let out a slow breath.

There were very few things she dreaded in life, but, as she stood in front of the Evans’ residence, she knew this was one of them. She’d been so sure when she got Isobel as her science partner that Isobel would let her do the whole thing and just tack her name on it. But _no_, she wanted to help. What the heck?

So, with a heavy sigh, she walked towards the door and tried not to regret too much that she’d failed to ask her to meet at the Crashdown instead. She knocked only once before the door swung open and a wide-eyed Max Evans stood before her. For him, she smiled.

“Is, uh, Isobel home?” Liz asked. Max blinked dumbly a few times, seeming to be more than a little lost. However, when he came to, he let out a shaky laugh.

“Yeah, yeah, sorry, my bad. She’s here,” he answered, smiling helplessly. Liz huffed a laugh that built whenever he neither moved nor called for Isobel.

“Can you tell her I’m here?” Max’s eyes bulged in realization and Liz giggled a little more.

“Yes, yeah, sorry. My bad,” Max said, fumbling out a laugh as he stepped into the house, “Come in.”

Liz followed Max and took in the house that managed to make someone as sweet as Max and as terrifying as Isobel. Rosa had always said that, above all else, it was nature over nurture. She said that was why Liz was so good and smart and Rosa wasn’t. Of course, Liz only took that with a grain of salt. She knew Rosa was good and smart too. So, maybe Isobel was sweet like Max somewhere inside.

Deep, deep, _deep_ inside.

The house seemed normal enough. Very classy and put together and clean. Pictures of Max and Isobel at all points of their life covered the walls, proving that they’d been inseparable since they were little. She always thought that was sweet. As much as she loved Rosa, she didn’t think she could spend as much time with her as they did.

“Isobel! Liz is here for you!” Max called up the stairs before turning back to Liz with a goofy little smile. He was so cute, how did he not have a girlfriend?

Before she could question it anymore, Isobel appeared at the top of the stairs.

“You can come up,” she said. Liz prepared herself a little more before waving to Max and heading towards Isobel.

Liz followed her to her bedroom and found it surprisingly normal. She didn’t know what she expected, but the pale pink walls and bedspread, a white desk and dresser and nightstand, and simply a picture of her, Max, and Michael beside her bed was all a little too plain. It felt almost worryingly plain. Like this is what she thought a teenage girl’s bedroom looked like, so this is what she had. It made Liz realize that she actually didn’t know too much about Isobel Evans. She could count on one hand how many encounters they’d actually had.

“So I was thinking we could discuss the project, make notes on the points we want to make it, and then I could write the essay and you could do the poster for the presentation,” Isobel explained, sitting down on her bed. Liz gestured to the chair at her desk and Isobel nodded, so she pulled it out and sat down.

“Um, yeah, that works,” Liz said, pausing as the curiosity seemed to take over, “Can I ask you a question first?” Isobel sat a little straighter, her face becoming extremely guarded.

“Is it about Max?” she asked. Liz’s eyebrows tugged together.

“Why would it be about Max?”

“Because… nothing, what’s your question?” she sighed. Liz licked her lips and then spun her pen between her fingers.

“Your room. Nothing about this room says Isobel Evans. You always seemed the type to be, I don’t know, unapologetically yourself. You dress how you want, you act like you want. You’re gorgeous and people idolize you and you could so easily be the head of the school, but you choose to hang out with your brother and Michael Guerin of all people. I just… guess I was wondering why your room didn’t portray that.” Liz knew she’d said too much, that she’d crossed some sort of boundary with a girl she barely knew. It sounded like she was stalking her or something.

And, of all the things she could respond to, Isobel said, “Michael is my brother.” Liz blinked a few times in slight shock and Isobel looked to her door before kicking it closed as if she was scared someone might be listening. “We were adopted, he wasn’t. That’s why I hang out with him, _of all people_. I don’t give a shit what people might think about that, it’s not their business. It’s really not yours but you have this cute little fairy vibe about you and I don’t feel like you’re cruel enough to tell anyone our business.” The way she says it makes Liz feel like there’s even more not being said, like her lack of answers was actually every answer she could possibly need. Besides, she really wouldn’t tell anyone.

Liz nodded.

“It’s my turn to ask you a question now,” Isobel said, turning to face her with slightly nervous eyes. 

“Okay,” Liz agreed even though she was immediately a little scared of what the question would be. Isobel chewed on her bottom lip a little bit, her eyes focusing on someplace on the floor.

“What’s it like to, like… have a boyfriend?” Isobel asked hesitantly. Liz huffed a shocked laugh.

“What do you mean?” Isobel seemed to raise a couple of walls, sitting up straight and refusing to be embarrassed about what she asked. “I mean, like, haven’t you had one? You’re so pretty. Boys ask you out all the time.”

“We don’t date,” Isobel said as if that was supposed to make sense. Liz tried not to look too hard into it, but she assumed that had to be why Max didn’t have a girlfriend either.

“Oh, well, I don’t know. It’s just, like, someone who you get to be with all the time whenever you want because you _want_ to be around them. I don’t know, it’s hard to explain. Like, it’s nice to just be able to kiss and cuddle someone whenever you want,” she said and she could feel her face turning red. She found it embarrassing and difficult to talk about. How do you explain how it is to have a boyfriend? “Why, do you like someone?”

A small smile started pulling at Isobel’s lips and she covered it with her hand pulling her legs onto the bed. It was the most human Liz had ever seen her and she wanted to revel in it. She grinned wildly, leaning closer.

“Who? Tell me!” she urged. Liz wasn’t the biggest fan of gossiping or just whatever could be classified as girl talk, but she was interested in it when it came to Isobel Evans. She never let any walls down.

Not until today.

“Okay, but you can’t tell anyone,” she said, an excited smile. She wondered if Isobel ever _had_ girl talk. She couldn’t remember the last time she saw Isobel around another girl. It was just her brothers. Liz would gladly be the one to provide girl time.

“I won’t,” she promised. Isobel bit on her lip and she covered her eyes as she let out a nervous little giggle. It had Liz feeling just as giddy.

“Okay, okay… Kyle Valenti,” Isobel admitted. Liz’s eyes went wide and she let out a surprised laugh.

“No! Kyle? Really?” Liz said. She’d known Kyle forever and he was cute and nice, she could understand why girls liked him. Hell, _she_ had a bit of a crush on him. But Isobel was so different, she couldn’t see why _Isobel_ would like him.

“He’s so cute! I have geometry with him and he sits beside me and he helps me all the time and… Oh my god, he’s just so cute. And smart. And _cute_,” Isobel gushed and Liz giggled along with her.

“You should ask him out!” Liz encouraged. She couldn’t deny that the two of them would rule the sophomore class, they would be living Barbie and Ken. 

“No, no, I can’t do that,” Isobel said, schooling her smile as she shook her head, “We-we can’t date.”

“Why not?” Liz pressed. Isobel sat up straight again and let her feet touch the floor, shaking her head.

“Me and my brothers… we just can’t.” Liz furrowed her eyebrows. _Both_ brothers? Michael wasn’t under their parents' control, so why couldn’t he date? Actually, she knew that he _did_ date. She’d seen him on more than one occasion hooking up with girls beneath the bleachers.

“I feel like it’d be worth it to at least try, especially if you like him. He probably likes you too, honestly. You’re gorgeous, Isobel,” Liz said. Isobel stared at her for a moment, her eyes damn near penetrating Liz’ mind.

But she stared back until Isobel got what she wanted out of the staring.

“Let’s just work on the project, okay?” 

Liz let her change the subject back to the project, but she felt a little pride in the fact that she got Isobel Evans to open up a little. She seemed to need it and, even if they never talked again, Liz was happy to provide.

Turns out that sweetness isn’t as deep as she thought.


End file.
